Richardson NFL bound
Darrell Davis, The Leader-Post
Published: Friday, March 23, 2007
Wide receiver Jamel Richardson, who spent four intriguing CFL seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has joined the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
Richardson's agent, Paul Sheehy, said Thursday from Littleton, Colo., they had agreed to terms with the Cowboys, but he wouldn't disclose contract particulars such as the size of the signing bonus, which usually indicates an NFL team's interest. "We don't talk numbers,'' Sheehy said. "He received a signing bonus, some other bonuses as well. Everything was fine. They treated him like a draft pick.
...
Richardson, 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, played only 12 games during his first two seasons and 14 games in 2005, when he caught 55 passes for 663 yards. Richardson was declared eligible for the 2006 NFL draft, but he wasn't selected partly because the Roughriders wouldn't release him from his contract.
The Cowboys remained interested, particularly as Richardson stormed into 2007 and led the Roughriders in receiving (16 catches for 270 yards and two touchdowns through three-plus games) when he suffered broken foot bones that forced him to the injury list for the rest of the season. Richardson insisted in November he had fully healed and could have played in Saskatchewan's postseason games.
"It was a toss-up opportunity-wise and money-wise between Indianapolis and Dallas,'' said Sheehy. "It was the fact that one of Dallas's pro personnel people had really gone to bat for Jamel last year when we had that whole fiasco, when Roy wouldn't let him explore that opportunity. "They followed up every couple of weeks, knew about the foot and asked what he was doing for rehab. They stayed on top of it.''
anytime.
